The First Official National Flag
The first official national flag was approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The Resolution read: “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” Each star represented a state and each stripe represented the 13 colonies that declared independence from Great Britain.
The flag has seen 27 different versions (and countless variations) since its official adoption on June 14, 1777. As new states joined, corresponding stars were added to the flag. With few specifications in place, a variety of creative star arrangements were produced. The current 50-star flag was adopted on July 4, 1960.
Here are the 27 different US flags and their histories:-
1. Thirteen-Star U.S. Flag: The 13-star flag officially became the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777, and the date is celebrated every year in the United States as Flag Day. Though there is no conclusive proof, Francis Hopkinson, a congressman from New Jersey and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, is credited with designing the flag. Each star and stripe represented a former British colony.
2. Fifteen-Star U.S. Flag: Two stripes and two stars were added to the flag when Vermont and Kentucky became the 14th and 15th states in 1791 and 1792, respectively. The 15-star flag lasted for 23 years and five presidents served under it.
3. Twenty-Star U.S. Flag: With the westward expansion of the United States and the addition of more states, Congress realized that adding stripes to the flag would be impractical. So Congress passed the Flag Act in 1818, restoring the original 13-stripe design and unveiling the flag with additional stars on July 4. Five stars were added to represent five new states: Tennessee (1796), Ohio (1803), Louisiana (1812), Indiana (1816), and Mississippi (1817). The 20-star flag became the official flag on April 13, 1818, and it was the first of nine flags to only last about a year.
4. Twenty-One Star U.S. Flag: Just over a year after the twenty-star flag was introduced, the United States added Illinois to the Union, boosting the number of states to 21. Illinois was admitted on Dec. 3, 1818.
5. Twenty-Three Star U.S. Flag: The number of U.S. states rose to 23 with the admission of Alabama in 1819 and Maine in 1820. The flag became the official U.S. flag on July 4, 1820, and lasted for two years. President James Monroe was the only president to serve under this flag as well as the previous two flags.
6. Twenty-Four Star U.S. Flag: The flag expanded to 24 stars with the addition of Missouri in 1821.
7. Twenty-Five Star U.S. Flag: Arkansas joined the Union as a slave state on June 15, 1836. Less than a month later, its star was included in the U.S. flag, pushing the number of states to 25.
8. Twenty-Six Star U.S. Flag: Michigan was admitted to the Union in 1837 as a free state to help maintain the balance between slave and free states, increasing the number of states to 26 and as a consequence, twenty-six star U. S. Flag was introduced.
9. Twenty-Seven Star U.S. Flag: Florida, a former possession of the Spanish empire, was admitted to the Union in 1845, raising the total number of U.S. states to 27. It did not remain in the Union for long.
10. Twenty-Eight Star U.S. Flag: In 1846, the flag underwent another change, because of the admission of Texas. It was an independent republic before joining the Union and becoming the biggest state in landmass in the contiguous 48 states.
11. Twenty-Nine Star U.S. Flag: Iowa was admitted to the Union on Dec. 28, 1846, as a free state to maintain the balance between free and slave states during the antebellum period. Its star was added to the U.S. flag the following July 4.
12. Thirty-Star U.S. Flag: Wisconsin became a state on May 29, 1848, adding the 30th star to the U.S. flag less than two months later.
13. Thirty-One Star U.S. Flag: The Gold Rush that began with the discovery of the precious metal in 1848 helped fast-track California to statehood in 1850. California became the 31st star on the American flag the following July 4.
14. Thirty-Two Star U.S. Flag: On the eve of the Civil War, Minnesota was admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, and represented as the 32nd state on the flag less than two months later.
15. Thirty-Three Star U.S. Flag: America's expansion surged to the Northwest with the admission of Oregon on Feb. 14, 1859, adding a 33rd star to the flag the following July.
16. Thirty-Four Star U.S. Flag: Kansas became the 34th state to join the Union on Jan. 29, 1861, as a free state. Its star was represented on the flag six months later.
17. Thirty-Five Star U.S. Flag: The western part of Virginia was pro-Union and contained many abolitionists. It split from the rest of the state, which had seceded. President Abraham Lincoln was unsure about dividing Virginia and admitting the western portion as a separate state. He agreed to its admission on the grounds that West Virginia's action was an act of secession in favor of the Constitution. West Virginia joined the Union on June 20, 1863, and a new flag on July 4 included the 35th state.
18. Thirty-Six Star U.S. Flag: The Civil War was engulfing the nation when Nevada was admitted as the 36th state on Oct. 31, 1864, and the 36th star on the U.S. flag the following July.
19. Thirty-Seven Star U.S. Flag: Nebraska was the first state to be admitted to the Union after the Civil War. After the Civil War, rapid economic development accelerated by the growth of railroads helped speed Nebraska's admission to the Union on March 1, 1867, becoming the nation's 37th state and the 37th star on the flag.
20. Thirty-Eight Star U.S. Flag: Colorado, a territory that partially came with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, became the 38th state to join the Union on Aug. 1, 1876. Colorado's admission had been vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, but President Ulysses S. Grant approved it. The 38-star flag flew for 13 years.
21. Forty-Three Star U.S. Flag: A flurry of state admissions boosted the star total on the flag to 43 by July 4, 1890, as statehood filled out the United States in the high plains and the far west. Five states were admitted to the Union and five stars added to the flag: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington all in 1889, and Idaho in 1890.
22. Forty-Four Star U.S. Flag: Six states were admitted to the Union. Wyoming was the last of the six, boosting the number of stars on the flag to 44. Wyoming was admitted on July 10, 1890, even though it was 5,000-people short of the 60,000-person requirement to become a state.
23. Forty-Five Star U.S. Flag: Utah became a state on Jan. 4, 1896, and the 45th star on the flag was added later that year.
24. Forty-Six Star U.S. Flag: Oklahoma became the first state to be admitted to the Union in the 20th century, on Nov. 16, 1907, taking its place on the U.S. flag as the 46th star the following year.
25. Forty-Eight Star U.S. Flag: The southwestern territories of New Mexico and Arizona were the last to join the 48 contiguous states. New Mexico became the 47th state on Jan. 6, 1912, and Arizona attained statehood on Feb. 14, 1912. The 48-star flag flew longer than any other flag before it, 47 years, and eight presidents served under it.
26. Forty-Nine Star U.S. Flag: Alaska became the first non-contiguous territory to become a state on Jan. 3, 1959, and the 49th star on the U.S. flag. Alaska, which was purchased from Russia in 1867, is 2.5 times the size of Texas, the second-largest U.S. state. The 49-star flag was the last of the nine flags to fly for just one year.
27. Fifty-Star U.S. Flag: Hawaii is the 50th state, and joined the Union on Aug. 21, 1959. The 50-star flag has flown the longest of any U.S. flag. Twelve presidents have served under this flag.
The flag has seen 27 different versions (and countless variations) since its official adoption on June 14, 1777. As new states joined, corresponding stars were added to the flag. With few specifications in place, a variety of creative star arrangements were produced. The current 50-star flag was adopted on July 4, 1960.
Here are the 27 different US flags and their histories:-
1. Thirteen-Star U.S. Flag: The 13-star flag officially became the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777, and the date is celebrated every year in the United States as Flag Day. Though there is no conclusive proof, Francis Hopkinson, a congressman from New Jersey and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, is credited with designing the flag. Each star and stripe represented a former British colony.
2. Fifteen-Star U.S. Flag: Two stripes and two stars were added to the flag when Vermont and Kentucky became the 14th and 15th states in 1791 and 1792, respectively. The 15-star flag lasted for 23 years and five presidents served under it.
3. Twenty-Star U.S. Flag: With the westward expansion of the United States and the addition of more states, Congress realized that adding stripes to the flag would be impractical. So Congress passed the Flag Act in 1818, restoring the original 13-stripe design and unveiling the flag with additional stars on July 4. Five stars were added to represent five new states: Tennessee (1796), Ohio (1803), Louisiana (1812), Indiana (1816), and Mississippi (1817). The 20-star flag became the official flag on April 13, 1818, and it was the first of nine flags to only last about a year.
4. Twenty-One Star U.S. Flag: Just over a year after the twenty-star flag was introduced, the United States added Illinois to the Union, boosting the number of states to 21. Illinois was admitted on Dec. 3, 1818.
5. Twenty-Three Star U.S. Flag: The number of U.S. states rose to 23 with the admission of Alabama in 1819 and Maine in 1820. The flag became the official U.S. flag on July 4, 1820, and lasted for two years. President James Monroe was the only president to serve under this flag as well as the previous two flags.
6. Twenty-Four Star U.S. Flag: The flag expanded to 24 stars with the addition of Missouri in 1821.
7. Twenty-Five Star U.S. Flag: Arkansas joined the Union as a slave state on June 15, 1836. Less than a month later, its star was included in the U.S. flag, pushing the number of states to 25.
8. Twenty-Six Star U.S. Flag: Michigan was admitted to the Union in 1837 as a free state to help maintain the balance between slave and free states, increasing the number of states to 26 and as a consequence, twenty-six star U. S. Flag was introduced.
9. Twenty-Seven Star U.S. Flag: Florida, a former possession of the Spanish empire, was admitted to the Union in 1845, raising the total number of U.S. states to 27. It did not remain in the Union for long.
10. Twenty-Eight Star U.S. Flag: In 1846, the flag underwent another change, because of the admission of Texas. It was an independent republic before joining the Union and becoming the biggest state in landmass in the contiguous 48 states.
11. Twenty-Nine Star U.S. Flag: Iowa was admitted to the Union on Dec. 28, 1846, as a free state to maintain the balance between free and slave states during the antebellum period. Its star was added to the U.S. flag the following July 4.
12. Thirty-Star U.S. Flag: Wisconsin became a state on May 29, 1848, adding the 30th star to the U.S. flag less than two months later.
13. Thirty-One Star U.S. Flag: The Gold Rush that began with the discovery of the precious metal in 1848 helped fast-track California to statehood in 1850. California became the 31st star on the American flag the following July 4.
14. Thirty-Two Star U.S. Flag: On the eve of the Civil War, Minnesota was admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, and represented as the 32nd state on the flag less than two months later.
15. Thirty-Three Star U.S. Flag: America's expansion surged to the Northwest with the admission of Oregon on Feb. 14, 1859, adding a 33rd star to the flag the following July.
16. Thirty-Four Star U.S. Flag: Kansas became the 34th state to join the Union on Jan. 29, 1861, as a free state. Its star was represented on the flag six months later.
17. Thirty-Five Star U.S. Flag: The western part of Virginia was pro-Union and contained many abolitionists. It split from the rest of the state, which had seceded. President Abraham Lincoln was unsure about dividing Virginia and admitting the western portion as a separate state. He agreed to its admission on the grounds that West Virginia's action was an act of secession in favor of the Constitution. West Virginia joined the Union on June 20, 1863, and a new flag on July 4 included the 35th state.
18. Thirty-Six Star U.S. Flag: The Civil War was engulfing the nation when Nevada was admitted as the 36th state on Oct. 31, 1864, and the 36th star on the U.S. flag the following July.
19. Thirty-Seven Star U.S. Flag: Nebraska was the first state to be admitted to the Union after the Civil War. After the Civil War, rapid economic development accelerated by the growth of railroads helped speed Nebraska's admission to the Union on March 1, 1867, becoming the nation's 37th state and the 37th star on the flag.
20. Thirty-Eight Star U.S. Flag: Colorado, a territory that partially came with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, became the 38th state to join the Union on Aug. 1, 1876. Colorado's admission had been vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, but President Ulysses S. Grant approved it. The 38-star flag flew for 13 years.
21. Forty-Three Star U.S. Flag: A flurry of state admissions boosted the star total on the flag to 43 by July 4, 1890, as statehood filled out the United States in the high plains and the far west. Five states were admitted to the Union and five stars added to the flag: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington all in 1889, and Idaho in 1890.
22. Forty-Four Star U.S. Flag: Six states were admitted to the Union. Wyoming was the last of the six, boosting the number of stars on the flag to 44. Wyoming was admitted on July 10, 1890, even though it was 5,000-people short of the 60,000-person requirement to become a state.
23. Forty-Five Star U.S. Flag: Utah became a state on Jan. 4, 1896, and the 45th star on the flag was added later that year.
24. Forty-Six Star U.S. Flag: Oklahoma became the first state to be admitted to the Union in the 20th century, on Nov. 16, 1907, taking its place on the U.S. flag as the 46th star the following year.
25. Forty-Eight Star U.S. Flag: The southwestern territories of New Mexico and Arizona were the last to join the 48 contiguous states. New Mexico became the 47th state on Jan. 6, 1912, and Arizona attained statehood on Feb. 14, 1912. The 48-star flag flew longer than any other flag before it, 47 years, and eight presidents served under it.
26. Forty-Nine Star U.S. Flag: Alaska became the first non-contiguous territory to become a state on Jan. 3, 1959, and the 49th star on the U.S. flag. Alaska, which was purchased from Russia in 1867, is 2.5 times the size of Texas, the second-largest U.S. state. The 49-star flag was the last of the nine flags to fly for just one year.
27. Fifty-Star U.S. Flag: Hawaii is the 50th state, and joined the Union on Aug. 21, 1959. The 50-star flag has flown the longest of any U.S. flag. Twelve presidents have served under this flag.
Written by - Prachi Raheja
0 Comments